Balloonists! Balloon chasers, riders and admirers! Even during the magical week of Fiesta, what goes up must come down. Don’t let the hours after ascensions get YOU down. Come experience Amapola artists’ co-op Gallery on the Plaza in historic Old Town.

What is Amapola Gallery? you ask. We are an artists’ co-operative, run by and for forty fabulous New Mexico artists. We have paintings, glass, wood, fiber arts, jewelry, stone carvings, photography and more, all produced locally and truly New Mexican.

We are what you could call off the ground ourselves, perched atop a wonderfully tasty coffee- -frozen yogurt- -Frito pie palace called Yay! Yogurt.

When the balloons are down keep looking up at Amapola Gallery, all New Mexican all the time.

Constructors of beauty- -both Michele McMillan and Debra Montoya earn that title with each piece of their work. Michele and Debra are Amapola Gallery’s Featured Artists in October and they’re quite a pair.

Michele McMillan is an award-winning silversmith with her own distinctive style. Her cast (lost-wax) creations utilize such natural objects as bits of cholla, grapevine and wisteria. Other pieces are fabricated using silver sheet and wire. Michele combines products of both with glorious natural gemstones in her very wearable jewelry.

Debra Montoya constructs her equally distinctive and striking wall and wearable pieces of found- object mosaics. Rock-hounded stones, dried cactus and bits of wood are from her land in the Jemez. She sculpts roses, stars and more from various clays. Intriguing bits of glass, broken pottery and Debra’s own photographs and painted vignettes are cleverly combined into brilliantly colored and thoroughly original pieces. You may have seen her work at Contemporary Spanish Market in Santa Fe.

Each of these artists constructs unique, nature-inspired art. Come meet the artists at their reception October 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. Their display may be enjoyed daily 10 to 5 at Amapola Gallery, 205 Romero N.W, in historic Romero House on the Plaza in Old Town.

I’d like to share something my mother wrote years ago. Margaret Parrott was a gifted artist and original member of Amapola Gallery.

“I understand all over again that being awake for the religious experience is the realm of the artist in each of us. The ordinary, when truly noticed, becomes wonderful. Practicality threatens to be the enemy of the metaphysical for the marvelous vision lies just beyond the practical. The humdrum and the fabulous are joined when we can share that vision. The religious experience is the attachment, the connection, between the homely and the fantastic. “

She could cook, too!

At Amapola artists’ co-op Gallery, you can experience forty New Mexico artists’ work as we strive to make the ordinary wonderful. Come notice for yourselves- -connect with our creations.

Amapola Gallery, where you’ll always meet the artists. On the Plaza in Old Town, Albuquerque, at 205 Romero N.W. (505) 242-4311 or amaploagallery.com. Open daily from 10 to 5.

Pat O’Brien calls himself, “Just another photographer. ” Don’t you believe it. His images of buffalo, eagles and other southwestern creatures are so full of life they almost radiate body heat. Views of lonesome churches and homesteads impart a strong sense of the stark, serene beauty of New Mexico. Light, angle, subject- -Pat gets it right.

Diana Swanson is a self-proclaimed “glassaholic. ” Her work is joyfully colorful and intense and encompasses a wide variety of both ornamental and functional pieces. These will brighten your home and lighten your day.

O’Brien and Swanson, together at Amapola Gallery for September. Meet them at the artists’ reception Friday, September 1, from 4-7 p.m.

The gallery is open daily 10 to 5 at 205 Romero N.W, on the Plaza in historic Old Town. 242-4311 and amapolagallery.com.

I write “Amapola artists’ co-op Gallery ” for a specific reason, even though our actual name is Amapola Gallery. That’s to emphasize that we are a cooperative. Each of us contributes rent, time and our various strengths to keep our lovely gallery open and staffed.

A local co-op is also a virtual poster child for the Buy American movement. We are Local. We are New Mexican. Everything in our store is made by us in the good old USA. Come see and experience the wide variety of paintings, ceramics, wood, jewelry, glass, fiber arts both wearable and decorative, and more, produced by forty local artists each more wondrous than the last.

Amapola Gallery, where you’ll always meet the artists. On historic Old Town Plaza at 205 Romero N.W. Open 10 to 5 daily. Amapolagallery.com or (505) 242- 4311.

At Amapola artists’ co-op Gallery we are pleased to introduce Rebecca Olesen and jeweler Joyance as our Featured Artists for August.

Rebecca’s acrylic landscapes are New Mexico all the way. She not only has a native’s appreciation of our vast evocative space but a graceful interpretation honed by near- daily painting. And the lady can paint! From shade dappled adobe courtyards to distant mountains, this is our part of Paradise.

Joyance provides refined elegance with her crystal and stone earrings, necklaces and sets. The designs are classic and classy, easy to wear and full of subtle color. Lovely!

Meet the artists at our reception, Friday, August 4 from 4 to 7 p.m. The gallery is open 10 to 5 daily and the Olesen/ Joyance exhibit is up through August.

Amapola Gallery, 205 Romero N.W on The Plaza in Old Town. Amapolagallery.com or 242- 4311.

Looking for a great way to beat the heat and have a fun experience at the same time? Slide in to Amapola artists’ co-op Gallery in historic Old Town!

At Amapola we have the coolest collection of art in the Southwest, both functional and not, in our air conditioned gallery, and Yay Yogurt, with killer yogurt and an array of icy drinks, is our downstairs neighbor. It’s a terrific combo and a certain heat beater!

Amapola Gallery, in historic Romero House on Old Town Plaza at 205 Romero N.W. Open daily from 10 to 5.

“Two Visions: Abstracts and Landscapes” is the theme for Lynda Burch and Gwen Peterson’s Featured Artist display for July at Amapola artists’ co-op Gallery. It’s a great title for the works of these two award-winning artists.

Lynda Burch, widely admired for her unique postage stamp collages, brings a new collection of acrylic abstracts titled “Freedom.” These are works of many layers of both paint and embedded collage elements, providing a depth of appeal, both textural and visual.

Gwen Peterson, popular for her serigraphs of cats, other critters and stunning landscapes, approaches abstraction from a nearly opposite direction. Always spare in her approach to design, she is intrigued by minimalism. She provides a colorful and eye- catching simplicity in her acrylics on canvas.

Check out “Two Visions ” at Amapola Gallery through July. Meet the artists and partake of the lavish supply of homemade goodies at the reception on Friday, July 7, from 4:00 to 7:00.

Amapola Gallery, 205 Romero N.W, on the Plaza in Old Town, where it’s all New Mexican all the time. Open 10 to 5 daily. (505-) 242- 4311 or at amapolagallery.com.

Carol Lutz (rhymes with roots) displays her beautiful fused and slumped glass. She features standing glass “paintings,” plates, nifty lazy susans and more, much of it functional as well as decorative. Glass, she says, “takes on a personality all its own. ” A project may work as intended – – or it may not. Carol enjoys the great variety of glass colors and types and finds the experimentation and endless possibilities exciting. You will, too!

Cynthia Mulvaney is a wonderfully self- taught oil painter, whose desire for a fun mural for her kids’ room years ago led her to eventually open her own mural business. Yup. She’s that good! Cynthia is currently showing work on a much smaller but equally fun and quirky scale. Enjoy a bit of nostalgia with a skilled rendering of a favorite childhood toy or cartoon character, or a piece of chocolate cake to make your mouth water. She even slips in a landscape or two, painted in her crisp individual style.

Amapola Gallery, all New Mexican all the time, where great plus two equals even better! Staffed by the artists and open 10 to 5 daily at 205 Romero N.W, right on the Plaza in Old Town.

After more than 40 years working with wood, Mark masterfully enhances grain, color and the natural characteristics of each piece he makes. Using local as well as exotic woods he turns rustic into smooth sophistication.

B.J. doesn’t say much about her work. She lets her charming florals and southwestern vignettes do the talking for her. Her goal is to always have her paintings reflect the special light unique to New Mexico’s high desert.

Meet the artists Friday June 2 from 4 to 7 p.m.. The show runs through June at Amapola Gallery, on the Plaza in Old Town at 205 Romero N.W. Open daily 10 to 5.

An artists cooperative of approximately 40 artists, is one of Albuquerque's most exciting galleries. Located in the Old Town section of Albuquerque, Amapola houses an eclectic collection of contemporary art and crafts. Its artists interpret the modern southwest, being ever mindful of the area's rich cultural heritage and its natural beauty.
All artwork subject to availability and prior sale; please inquire by phone or e-mail.
No image may be copied, downloaded, or reproduced without the express written consent of the artist.